Brad Meltzer

During class at Columbia Law School almost two-dozen years ago, Brad Meltzer had a brainstorm for a book he wanted to write. On the back of his calendar, where he jotted down all his ideas, he wrote, “clerk, Supreme Court.”

The idea turned into a manuscript for “The Tenth Justice,” a legal thriller that earned him a six-figure book advance. He never looked back. Living the dream that some lawyers covet, Meltzer built a rich and varied career devoid of billable hours.

Meltzer, now 47, has sold 12 million books by his count—thrillers, children's books, comic books, historical fiction and more. He has produced history-oriented TV shows, done two TED talks and salvaged the house in Cleveland where the creator of Superman lived.

Twenty years after “The Tenth Justice” hit best-seller lists, Meltzer is back at the top—No. 1 on The New York Times on March 15—with his latest thriller, “The Escape Artist,” which weaves together the secrets of Dover Air Force Base, a female lead and a nod toward Harry Houdini.

Between stops on a nationwide book tour, Meltzer took time for a conversation about his life, the law and the new book:

Any regrets about not becoming a practicing lawyer, or did you write the book because you knew you didn't want to go in that direction?

Meltzer: I loved law school—and loved the law. It was fascinating to me. But my passion has always been to write. So I followed my passion. Still, the law gave me something to write about. I remember on my first day of law school, the dean said, “Look at the front page of any newspaper. In every story, there's a lawyer.” So I started my writing career writing about those lawyers and the stories I loved, whether it was lawyers in the White House, the Supreme Court, or even today, at Dover Air Force Base, home of the mortuary for the U.S. government's most top-secret and high-profile cases.

Countless law students and lawyers are jealous of your career path. What's your advice to lawyers who want to walk away from the law and write books or screenplays?

Meltzer: Write it. That's it. That's how you become a writer. It's like teaching someone to ride a bicycle. I can tell you to hold the handlebars and find your balance and pedal 2 miles an hour. … But, until you get on the actual bike, you'll never learn how to ride it. It's the same with writing. You need to sit down and just write.

“The Tenth Justice” brought attention to otherwise invisible Supreme Court law clerks and may have contributed to the glorification of law clerks. Do you think they play too important a role in Supreme Court decision-making?

Meltzer: I don't see how to get around it. You have far too much information for a single justice to digest. You have mountains of research for them to wade through. Everyone needs help. But when I was younger, I just thought it was cool that the drafts of decisions were in the hands of young law clerks. Today, 20 years later, I realize the genius of the system. I would never want a 40-something clerk, even with their years of experience, weighing in and influencing things. They'd bring too much agenda and not enough idealism. The beauty of the almost-fresh-from-law-school clerk is that they give us exactly that. The purity that only someone brand new can bring.

How did “The Escape Artist” come about?

Meltzer: As always, I start with the real research. Years ago, I went to the Middle East with the USO. That's where I got to learn more about Dover Air Force Base, the home of the mortuary for the U.S. government's most top-secret and high-profile cases. On 9/11, the victims of the Pentagon attack were brought there. So were the victims of the attack on the USS Cole, the astronauts from the Space Shuttle Columbia and the remains of well over 50,000 soldiers and CIA operatives who fought in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and every secret location in between. In Delaware of all places, at Dover Air Force Base, is America's most important funeral home. As someone who writes thrillers, it was the perfect setting for a mystery.

How does Harry Houdini fit into the plot?

Meltzer: The opening page of the book is true: In 1898, a man named John Elbert Wilkie, a friend of Harry Houdini, was put in charge of the United States Secret Service. Wilkie was a fan of Houdini and did his own tricks himself. And it is the only time in history that a magician was in control of the Secret Service. I loved that. And I also loved when I found out where Harry Houdini donated all his magic books after he died. I didn't make that up.